Winnetka Park District to wrap up beach design plans before new members join board

The Winnetka Park District is looking to finalize design plans for the beaches at Elder and Centennial parks before two new board members, James Hemmings and Jeff Tyson, join the board in May.

They wil succeed current Park Board Commissioners Mickey Archambault and David Seaman, who will be stepping down.

Board President Warren James said he expects the board to consider cost estimates at the next meeting on April 27 with a review of the project and all that has gone into it so far at the May 11 meeting in order to hand the project to Park District staff after the May 25 meeting. The Park District also hosted an open house on April 15 to update residents on the project’s progress.

“It is the intent that this board should conclude the discussion regarding the design of Elder and Centennial,” James said. “For this board to continue to debate ad nauseam without bringing to resolution is inappropriate. We’ve taken a great deal of time. There’s consensus among the board members ... To continue debating the design is not what I think is in the best interest of the board.”

Designs for the project have changed several times since the original plans were pulled from consideration by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on June 9, 2022 by a 3-2 vote. Since then, Matt Wright of Red Barn Design and Engineering has joined the team to provide additional expertise.

Seaman agreed with James, saying it has been nearly a year of hard work and listening to the public since the permits were pulled, and he indicated that progress needs to be made.

“What is currently in the plans (has) meaningful, dramatic changes from the initial permit that we put through,” he said. “We need to move forward. We are moving forward.”

The proposed land swap between the Park District and billionaire resident Justin Ishbia has remained unfinished despite the contract being completed in Oct. 2020. Some, including Commissioner Colleen Root, have said the lack of finality with the land swap prevents the Park District from being able to fully conceptualize the project. If that land swap goes forward, the beaches would be combined and an equitable piece of land at the southern end of Centennial would be gifted to Ishbia by the Park District. If not, the beaches will remain divided.

An ongoing lawsuit by resident Robert Schriesheim arguing that the Park District is violating the Illinois Public Trust Doctrine by gifting public lands to a private entity has also muddied the waters of the project. The doctrine states that public lands, including those under the water of Lake Michigan, are owned by the residents and held in trust by the government.

James said that even with a vote in May, there are still many chances for the project to be held up, particularly in regards to funding. The board approved a $24 million budget in March with nearly a third being dedicated to the Elder/Centennial project.

With the project receiving continued pushback from a group of residents concerned primarily about preserving views of Lake Michigan, residents spoke out at the board’s committee of the whole meeting on April 13.

“You owe it to the public to go to referendum like every other district in this village,” Katie Stevens said. “The public needs to decide where our tax dollars go. The public wants their views; we want no walls.”

Resident Allen Welch said the money should be in hand before beginning a project of this scale and Randy Whitchurch said that even if money is available for the Elder portion of the project, the design will make it necessary to rebuild Centennial which the board doesn’t have the funds for.

Resident Sherry Molitor echoed Stevens’ concerns, saying the project has no measurable public approval and a referendum like the Glencoe golf referendum which passed earlier this month should be done.

“We keep hearing that our group is just a very vocal and obnoxious minority; we’re not. We represent a lot of people,” Irene Smith said.

Seaman said that while there are people openly opposed to the project, there is broad approval exemplified by the few most recent annual Winnetka Caucus surveys. Root said she believes that comments in the survey against “over-engineered” beaches are being ignored.

“The delay here is not the fault of the community. It is not the fault of staff. It’s not the fault of the board,” she said. “The delay here is because we have been unable to close a contract that was finally signed on Oct. 13, 2020 ... we are moving forward with a plan that, once we start this breakwater on the northern side of Elder, will almost commit us to have to follow that plan, but we don’t own the property in the middle.”

Commissioner Christina Codo also thinks the board has an example of measurable public approval in the fairly equal amount of votes for her and Commissioner Cynthia Rapp — who received 1,966 votes to Codo’s 1,905. She said she saw the results as a proxy of a referendum on their positions on the project. Rapp has voted against several components of the issue alongside Root with Codo voting in line with the majority.

Several plans have been put forth with and without the land swap included. One suggestion made by residents was to forego the breakwaters into the lake and replace them with piers.

“We do not want five walls in the lake. We do not want to spend $20 million on rocks. We want to see the views and I don’t want you to be afraid of a homeowner,” Stevens said. “If there is any way to get out of this deal, you need to get out of this deal.”

James said that piers are too dangerous to include in the plans because they incite people to jump off them, citing a staff member who was severely injured diving off a pier last year and another incident that happened last week at Maple Street Beach.

Residents also asked to have Elder Beach opened for this summer but staff is conflicted on the possibility. Superintendent of Recreation Kyle Berg said staffing levels aren’t sufficient to get the beach clean and safe enough to be opened to the public, but Director of Parks and Maintenance Costa Kutulas agreed to see what could be done and update the board.

James said after the recent storms, hazards on the beach have been exposed he wasn’t even aware of. Residents have been using the beach regardless of it being closed and instruction that it isn’t safe. Root said because of this, the Park District should be doing all it can to make the beach safe and accessible.

Archambault said just because people are using the beach in violation of the rules, that doesn’t make it right and the board shouldn’t condone or support it.

“If people want to do it and they get caught — I’ve paid the fine once so, so be it,” he said.

Seaman said instead of encouraging people to use the beach while closed, the Park District should be doing what it can to keep people from using it and limiting access.

“My view is, absolutely no way. Do not open that beach. Do not open it; it’s not safe. We’ve had two incidents,” he said. “It’s too easy (to get down there). That’s my view from a risk management standpoint ... we need to do it right or we don’t do it at all.”